A Japanese Pen Maker Anticipated the Fountain-Pen Renaissance • Hacker News Board

Re: A Japanese Pen Maker Anticipated the Fountain-Pen Renaissance

#21

Post by winter_blue » Mon, Sep 04, 2017, 6:06 PM UTC

nabla9 wrote: post #19

Nakaya pens are prime example of Veblen good - luxury goods for which the quantity demanded increases as the price increases. The old desire of building your identity around what you own instead of what you do is not going anywhere. Good for them picking up the extra money people have. Of course Nakaya pens are good writing pens, but the quality of pen as a tool levels around $50-$70 price mark. Extra is just collect…

> The old desire of building your identity around what you own instead of what you do is not going anywhere. Good for them picking up the extra money people have.

That's really spot on. We could have an incredibly fulfilling life while living frugally. Writing books, making art, creating new software, doing research, etc. Creating and understanding yourself better can be healing. Physical possessions like this pen is just so vain, shallow, and meaningless. Some of the happiest peoples' lives are built around shared experiences.

Re: A Japanese Pen Maker Anticipated the Fountain-Pen Renaissance

#22

Post by Latty » Mon, Sep 04, 2017, 6:08 PM UTC

KC8ZKF wrote: post #6

I enjoy a good fountain pen. If you are interested in an inexpensive practical fountain pen, you should look into the Lamy Safari. It is easy to maintain, writes smoothly, and feels good in the hand. It is my every day pen. Quick drying "document" inks are also good for everyday use. They don't fade or smear.

I wrote with a Lamy through my schooling, they did well for me for sure.

Of course, the most I write by hand these days are notes or a shopping list, so no need for fountain pens for me.

Re: A Japanese Pen Maker Anticipated the Fountain-Pen Renaissance

#23

Post by jmcgough » Mon, Sep 04, 2017, 6:09 PM UTC

KC8ZKF wrote: post #6

I enjoy a good fountain pen. If you are interested in an inexpensive practical fountain pen, you should look into the Lamy Safari. It is easy to maintain, writes smoothly, and feels good in the hand. It is my every day pen. Quick drying "document" inks are also good for everyday use. They don't fade or smear.

A bit more expensive ($30), but the TWSBI Eco is excellent and highly recommended by the fountain pen community. I traded up from a Pilot Metropolitan recently and use it daily now. Lamy Safari is generally recommended as well.

Re: A Japanese Pen Maker Anticipated the Fountain-Pen Renaissance

#24

Post by cthalupa » Mon, Sep 04, 2017, 6:19 PM UTC

winter_blue wrote: post #21

nabla9 wrote: post #19

Nakaya pens are prime example of Veblen good - luxury goods for which the quantity demanded increases as the price increases. The old desire of building your identity around what you own instead of what you do is not going anywhere. Good for them picking up the extra money people have. Of course Nakaya pens are good writing pens, but the quality of pen as a tool levels around $50-$70 price mark. Extra is just collect…

> The old desire of building your identity around what you own instead of what you do is not going anywhere. Good for them picking up the extra money people have. That's really spot on. We could have an incredibly fulfilling life while living frugally. Writing books, making art, creating new software, doing research, etc. Creating and understanding yourself better can be healing. Physical possessions like this pen is…

>making art

>this pen is just so vain, shallow, and meaningless.

I hope you can see the contradiction here. These pens are the result of skills honed over time by people who are masters of their craft. These aren't mass produced items, and they will tailor basically every aspect of the pen to the customer.

You're paying for the artistry, quality, and customization. These things are more expensive when not mass produced.

Would I buy one? Not unless I just had a bunch of money that I had nothing else to do with. But for someone who talks about making art being a fulfilling venture, it doesn't make sense to scorn something that many people consider art.

Re: A Japanese Pen Maker Anticipated the Fountain-Pen Renaissance

#25

Post by tachion » Mon, Sep 04, 2017, 6:30 PM UTC

What other quality pen could one recommend if I would like to get one and not spend a fortune on ones like these? By no means they look and feel probably great, but I'm simply not in their target market. However, from my young years I remember owning few Parker pens, few Pelikan and one or two Waterman. I remember enjoying ones with a 'buttery smooth' writing feeling most (don't really know how to describe it other way) and hating scraping pointy ones. I don't care about gold finish at all, but solid wood or not-cheap plastic would be great.

Re: A Japanese Pen Maker Anticipated the Fountain-Pen Renaissance

#26

Post by godelski » Mon, Sep 04, 2017, 6:38 PM UTC

tachion wrote: post #25

What other quality pen could one recommend if I would like to get one and not spend a fortune on ones like these? By no means they look and feel probably great, but I'm simply not in their target market. However, from my young years I remember owning few Parker pens, few Pelikan and one or two Waterman. I remember enjoying ones with a 'buttery smooth' writing feeling most (don't really know how to describe it other w…

Lamy Safari [1] is generally considered a good "starter" pen. I love them and they aren't too expensive. It is big enough that it is hard to lose, so if you keep it for like a year or two+, it'll end up being cheaper than ballpoints.

You might want to look at different nibs though, to find the right amount of fineness you want.

[1] https://smile.amazon.com/Lamy-Safari-Fountain-Pen-Charcoal/d...

Re: A Japanese Pen Maker Anticipated the Fountain-Pen Renaissance

#27

Post by tolien » Mon, Sep 04, 2017, 6:39 PM UTC

KC8ZKF wrote: post #6

I enjoy a good fountain pen. If you are interested in an inexpensive practical fountain pen, you should look into the Lamy Safari. It is easy to maintain, writes smoothly, and feels good in the hand. It is my every day pen. Quick drying "document" inks are also good for everyday use. They don't fade or smear.

Used to use Parkers and Watermans (Watermen?), got a Safari a few years ago and upgraded to a 2000 (rather more expensive piston-filler). Now I've got 3 (in a mix of nibs and stainless steel/Macrolan).

Re: A Japanese Pen Maker Anticipated the Fountain-Pen Renaissance

#28

Post by brandall10 » Mon, Sep 04, 2017, 6:40 PM UTC

KC8ZKF wrote: post #6

I enjoy a good fountain pen. If you are interested in an inexpensive practical fountain pen, you should look into the Lamy Safari. It is easy to maintain, writes smoothly, and feels good in the hand. It is my every day pen. Quick drying "document" inks are also good for everyday use. They don't fade or smear.

And if you want to move up toward the top of the heap without totally breaking the bank a Lamy 2000 is worth checking out. Great nib out of the box, but can be tuned to perfection for a bit more $$.

Re: A Japanese Pen Maker Anticipated the Fountain-Pen Renaissance

#29

Post by lytfyre » Mon, Sep 04, 2017, 6:40 PM UTC

tachion wrote: post #25

What other quality pen could one recommend if I would like to get one and not spend a fortune on ones like these? By no means they look and feel probably great, but I'm simply not in their target market. However, from my young years I remember owning few Parker pens, few Pelikan and one or two Waterman. I remember enjoying ones with a 'buttery smooth' writing feeling most (don't really know how to describe it other w…

I'd suggest trying out the Pilot Metropolitan, in a Medium nib.

It's not an _Amazing_ pen, but it's got a nice solid brass body, the quality control is very consistent), it's a nice consistent writer, and they sell on Amazon for ~$12.

It's my usual recommendation for a "gateway" pen.

Re: A Japanese Pen Maker Anticipated the Fountain-Pen Renaissance

#30

Post by huntie » Mon, Sep 04, 2017, 6:43 PM UTC

I used to write with a fountain pen a lot, they're really nice to write with. Most of my writing now is math though, and I've found that fountain pens aren't the best for that. I really like the Sakura Pigma Micron pens though. I think that they're made for artists, but I've found them really nice as a general pen. I specifically get the 05.